Sin: Minor and Major?
by sakeakai
Summary: At first there were seven deadly sins. These sins manifested as homunculus. But man's sin didn't end there. This is how the minor sins were created. All the sins are back in their quest to create the philosopher's stone, plus a few new homunculus to help.
1. Birth of New Sin

Sin: Minor and Major?

A/N: Hello, this is my first fanfic so I hope that is good. Please R&R. I have no problem with constructive criticism, but please don't flame me. At the same time, please be honest. If you tell me what you don't like, then I can improve. Then we'll both be happy because I'll become a better writer and you won't have to read horrible writing. Of course you _could _always just read a different fanfic...Anyways, on a different note, in the title, yes, the question mark_ is_ supposed to be there. And now I must hurry and finish up the author's note because my violent muse is already screaming at me to kill off one of the characters and the story hasn't even started yet. So, just a few important notes-

"talking"

'thinking'

_Dreaming_

Okay, that's it. enjoy the fanfic.

Chapter1: Birth of new sin

At first there were seven deadly sins, laid down as law by religion. Not being able to refrain from these sins, humans eventually gave them form. However, man's evil did not end there. The vileness of humanity spread until all of their wrongdoings and inner, sickening desires and actions gave birth to more sins. Eventually, those sins became known as minor sins, though they were no less evil than the original seven. One day these sins would be given physical form as well. They would be manifested by a new batch of foolish alchemists attempting to play god. They would try to create human life and would instead make monsters.

The homunculus threw back a rope of long dark hair as he stared at the building before him. The old house was nothing to look twice at. Its paint was flaking off and over half of the shutters had been unhinged. The flowers that had once grown in the window boxes had long since withered and become overrun with weeds that now climbed the windows and drooped over the wooden sides. The entire estate, in fact, and the neighbor-less miles that surrounded them were enshrouded in an air of decay and long-abandonment. This particular house was entirely insignificant in the country it lay in. Yet, the young man, dressed only in a stomach-less, turtleneck-like shirt and a miniskirt, sat in the cold autumn air and braved the ice cold winds that nipped at his overly slender frame to silently and patiently watch the house. A smirk graced his lips as a flare of red light poured out of the front, right, second storey room's windows and an agony filled scream filled the empty air. He clutched the red stones more tightly in his right hand and started toward the now silent and un-illuminated building.

Arnold Seweitzer, age thirty six and an alchemist of twenty three years, had spent almost his entire life studying human transmutation. Tonight, he had out his long obtained knowledge to work and use as he tried to bring back his twenty three years dead, six years old, little sister back to life. He had, as all of the others foolish enough to try and act the part of god, failed in his attempt. He lost his own life during the transmutation and left behind only a pile of flesh, blood and bones in the center of the transmutation circle he had drawn on the empty room's floor. The corner of the oddly dressed homunculus' mouth twitched as he surveyed the gory scene. Laughing silently to himself, he walked toward the twitching lump of organs at the room's center. As he looked down at the failed human transmutation before him his face broke out into a genuine smile. Finding a mouth in the thing's grotesque form, he leaned over and fed it the red stones from his hand. In another flash of red the meant-to-be-human grew a full body and stared up at him. As it slowly got to its feet he saw an Ouroboros, a red tattoo of snake eating its tail, on the small of its back. Still moving slowly, it turned to face him. He grinned unrestrainedly at the girl of about fourteen years before him.

Hello, Malice." His grin grew, if possible, even wider. "I'm your big brother, Envy."

A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please, please, please R&R. The future of this story may rest in your hands.


	2. Dark Games

A/N: Hello again, it me I hope you enjoy the new chapter! Now, on to the story!

Chapter two: Dark Games

The boy of about sixteen peered past the pieces of short, ink-black hair that fell over his eyes as he followed the long haired, voluptuous woman leading him. He ran a hand through his bangs in an unsuccessful attempt to clear his vision. The motion revealed the ourborous tattoo on the palm of his right hand

"Well, Sadism," the woman, Lust, informed him, "That's pretty much all the information you need." They stopped at another numbered door that was, to Sadism, as undistinguishable as the rest. "The only one of us you have yet to meet is Malice. This is her room." After knocking softly, Lust waited a moment and then opened the unlocked door. The room wasn't especially big. Shoved up in the far corner was a small, neatly made cot and stacked up against the walls were hundreds of thin boxes, arranged neatly in piles. What they were, Sadism couldn't tell through the darkness that all, but swallowed the room. The only light came from the hallway, in through the doorway, which was dim anyways, and a diminutive gas lamp sitting on a small, metal table in the center of the room. Two chairs, also made of metal, sat at either end of the aforementioned table. In one of them sat a girl about Sadism's age with shoulder length, metallic grey hair who was, almost serenely, moving black chess pieces across a board scattered with more of the same in white. She was, apparently, playing herself because the second chair, across from her, was empty. Sadism raised a skeptical eyebrow at Lust who threw a curled lock of light brown hair over her shoulder and spoke to the girl, who appeared to be oblivious to their presence in her doorway.

Malice, this is Sadism. He was just transmuted three days ago." Silence answered her as no response was made fro the chess player who, Sadism was now sure, was ignoring them. "He is being placed under your care. You'll have to show him his room later. It's W103, down the hall." Lust motioned the teenage boy inside and shut the door behind him, still receiving not so much as a nod from the room's occupant. Silence stretched, broken only by the click of painted, metal pieces moving across the black and white board. Malice still seemed unaware of Sadism's presence. Was she really so engrossed in her game or did she just not care? Becoming fed up with his wait for acknowledgment, Sadism shrugged and walked over to the table. As he sat down in the unoccupied chair, Malice glanced up at him briefly with eyes the same color as her hair. 'Finally!' the boy thought 'A reaction!' Well, she seemed to enjoy her silence. Maybe some noise would annoy her.

"So," he started "What's with the silent treatment? You just like ignoring people or something?" Another period of quiet followed hi question as the girl, as un-reactive as before, sat staring motionlessly at the board. Sadism sighed inwardly. 'This girl is boring.' He imagined the quiet, boring days his life would be filled with if Malice remained his caretaker as the girl moved a bishop from one square to another. She set the piece down with a click and folded her hands on the table in front of her.

"I'm not."

"What?" Sadism was shocked out of his daymare at the sound of her voice.

"Ignoring you, I'm not." If he hadn't seen her lips move than her wouldn't have believed that the girl in front of had said it.

"Then, why didn't you say anything until now?" Sadism tried to keep the conversation going. Personally, he hated silences.

"There wasn't anything worth saying." 'Oh, so she's that kind of person'

"Why are you playing by yourself?" It was a simple question, but Malice couldn't seem to think of an answer because she just started at Sadism with a slightly confused look on her face. "I'll play with 

you." The boy said to break the silence. "Though, I'm probably not very good." Sadism shifted uncomfortably in the chair and avoided meeting the intense gaze Malice was studying him with. For a moment, he thought she would refuse, but then she blinked and carefully picked up the chess board. Walking slowly, so as not to knock over any of the pieces, she walked over to the far wall and set it down gently inside an open box. She then slid out another box from one of the organized stacks and brought it back over to the table. Sadism's raised for a second time as she pulled put a second chess board and began to set it up. He waited until Malice was almost done and then asked, "Why didn't you just reset the other board?" She set the final two pieces in place and then looked at him.

"I hate ending games early." As white, she made the first move.

A/N: yes, I know that Lust has black hair, but the Himunculi died remember. The homunculi in this story are the new ones so the obviously won't look the same. I'm keeping their Ouroboros in the same spots because I'm assumiong that its location determines what sin they become. As for why Envy looks the same, well, I'm working under the assumption that the new sins retain the same powers and some of the personality traits of the past sins. Thought this Envy obviously does not hold a grudge against Hohenheim since, he did not create this story's Envy. Because of this I am going to further assume that Envy would still prefer the form that he did when he was the homunculus created by Dante and Hohenheim. If you have any other questions please ask them. Don't forget to R&R…please.


	3. Friendship and Tolerence

A/N: Thanks to those of you who reviewed and I hoe you enjoy this next chapter of Sin: Minor and Major?. And now, after that short and to the point announcement, here is chapter three!

Chapter 3: Friendship and Tolerance a.k.a. Profiling

With Malice's expert training, Sadism improved rapidly from a hopeless chess player to a mediocre one. Though not a game lover himself, he continued to play against Malice as often as possible. She was still distant and unreadable, but the silver haired homunculus seemed more relaxed when she was in possession of a board to dominate. However, Sadism was still unnerved by the way she could stare at the pieces so intently while simultaneously appearing nonchalant and uncaring as to how the game would turn out. That was Malice. Her silver eyes were devoid of emotion and her intellect as sharp as any knife. She compared everything to a game and could quickly and calmly move the human pieces in place. Though younger by many years than the original seven, most of their older 'siblings' held her in a begrudging respect which, in some, bordered on fear. With the exclusion of Envy and Greed, of course. Envy denied all fear and Greed was too busy being a badass to give the others , especially the minor sin, a second glance. Sadism had never seen it for himself, but he was told that Malice, when angered, could be frighteningly fierce. The three month old teenaged had stared dubiously at the chillingly collected girl facing him across the game board. Her eyes were fixed on the pieces to be strategically moved. Sadism shook his head in disbelief. Though he could imagine what he'd been told of manipulative nature, he could not conjure up the image of Malice fighting. Of course, he didn't even know what her power was. Staring at Malice as intently as she was staring at the board, Sadism was forced to admit, though he had spent three months almost constantly in her presence, that he really didn't know anything about Malice at all.

Though you couldn't tell by looking at her, behind Malice's cold, steel-wall eyes was a swarming hive of mental activity. Though calm, collected and uncaring on the outside, Malice was forever storing facts and occurrences in her memory and was able to recall seemingly mundane and insignificant details in less time than it took to blink. Her specialty was profiling. For years she had been building up detailed and accurate files on the other homunculi. These files were stored away in the depths of her brain and accessible in an instant. These files were so well put together that she could, many times, predict her 'siblings' next action before they had decided on it. Envy was the exception. He was the only one she could not full predict, and, because of this, she was drawn to him. He was the only one of the homunculi that she would seek out if she left her room, which she rarely did. Sadism was another matter. The boy insisted on sticking to her like glue. He almost acted as if he wanted to replace her shadow. For the purpose of building a profile of the gun wielding minor sin, though she knew that Sadism thought that there was some sort of 'closeness' developing between them, Malice knew that it was only tolerance. At least, on her side it was. As soon as soon as he profile on him was complete then he would be distanced, as she had pushed away the other sins. Granted, to make an accurate file on Sadism it might take her years of studying him. Malice was patient. She could wait. She had done so with all the others. She would wait and watch and listen and store away information until she could predict his actions as quickly and exactly as she could the rest. So Malice would continue to play against her fellow minor sin and tolerate him. All the while, watching him more observantly than a hawk watches their prey. No detail missed her seeking, silver eyes. No movement or word escaped her notice. No matter how long it took, the instruction guide to Sadism would be written for Malice to read and store away in the depths of her mind. This was Malice's game. She always won.

A/N: I got this chapter up as soon as I could. I hope it met and/or surpassed your expectations and I promise to get the next chapter up a.s.a.p. Thanks for reading and please R&R. remember, your suggestions help make this story better.


	4. Creation of Vanity

A/N: Thank you to all who reviewed and to all of you who have put Sin: Minor and Major? on their favorites list. I will continue to do my best and I hope that you find my story entertaining. Please R&R and enjoy chapter four!

Chapter 4: Creation of Vanity

Sadism looked up from the game he and Malice were playing as the door slammed open with an ear shattering 'Bam!' The bad boy Homunculus, immediately recognizable as Greed, sauntered into the room, raking his Ourborus marked hand through his short, sharply spiked, blonde hair. Sadism could feel him staring at them balefully through his black-out sun-glasses. The teenager wondered why he was there, as he usually wouldn't _lower_ himself so much as to actually speak to mere _minor _sins.

"Envy wants to see both of ya in the basement." He told them, leaning casually against the doorway. Whether he wanted to be there or not, Greed was not about to sacrifice his image.

"Why?" Sadism didn't bother hiding the surprise in his voice. None of the other sins had ever asked for him before. Greed just shrugged, playing up the nonchalant tone in his voice.

"Don't know. And, I wouldn't care if I did. It's your problem." Then, popping the collar on his leather jacket, the sin turned heel and left without a word. Sadism stared after him for a moment, then stood as he saw Malice already walking towards the open doorway. He followed his silvery haired 'sibling' down the hall and four flights of stairs to the basement. Sadism rubbed his arms as they walked down the last flight. It was a particularly long stairwell and the farther down they walked, the more he felt like he was stepping into a freezer. After several minutes of watching his breath crystallize in front of his face, he stepped off the bottom step and into what appeared to be the remains of a small laboratory. Broken and bottles and vials were layered with dust and, in some cases, mold. Many were chipped and small piles off shattered glass littered the floor along one wall. The reason for these piles soon became apparent as a test tube flew across the room and shattered against it, the pieces falling to the floor and adding another pile to the numbers. Turning a corner, Malice and Sadism saw their 'older brother', Envy selecting another doomed container and twirling it between his thumb and forefinger. When He saw them, he presented them with his usual, wide grin.

"So, you're here, huh?" Using his arms, he lifted himself onto the examination table in the center of the room. He simply sat there grinning at them for a moment before continuing. "There's something you need to do. There's an alchemist, David Grahmer, who is planning on attempting a human transmutation in two days." He opened the hand that wasn't still twirling the vial, allowing them to view the red stones sitting on his palm. "You now the drill, right?" He handed the stones off to Malice as he continued. "I'd go myself, but I've got other things to do." He leapt off the table and brushed past them, starting up the stairs. "Oh yeah, he's in that one little town, Pali-something, ten miles Northeast of here. Good luck!" With that, left them standing in the freezing air as he skipped up the steps, still grinning.

Thirty-six hours later found Malice and Sadism dodging from shadow to shadow in the modest town of Paliscend. They were headed towards twenty-three winged avenue, the home of one, David Grahmer. Sadism was still amazed that Malice had been able to locate the man so quickly. Especially since she had only known his name and the general direction of the town. As the pair neared the aforementioned address, they paused and peered into the dark for witnesses. Seeing none, they crawled through an open window, into the alchemist's living room. Listening intently, they heard footsteps above them and headed out the door and into the hallway. Climbing the stairs cautiously, they crept into an empty room and settled down to wait. Uncounted minutes passed as they waited apprehensively for their cue. They stiffened as the footsteps drew near their hiding place and flattened themselves up against the section of wall, overshadowed by the door. They relaxed the tension in their shoulders by a fraction when the footsteps and the shadow of David Grahmer faded. The alchemist passed by them three more times, but never entered the room. After what felt like hours, they scratching and banging from the other side of the wall faded away. Sadism glanced at Malice. Was it time yet? The silver haired sin responded by leaping up as a flash of red light filled they second floor. They sprinted down the hallway in time to see the last of the alchemist's body fade away, taken 

by the gate. Malice was took notice of the closed blinds. Good. They wouldn't have any neighbors poking around, questioning what the red flash was. Then she turned her attention to the center of the room. Directly in the center of the transmutation circle drawn on the floor was the failed transmutation. It pulsed horrifically while breathing harsh, ragged breaths with half formed lungs. The rib cage was exposed, showing off the internal workings of what should have been a human body. The thing's twisted, partially grown body stopped at the waist and fleshless areas exposed half of the skull and splotches in the right arm. From the wrist down, the right hand was skinless and shone wetly in the light from the ceiling fan above. The left arm stopped before the elbow in a mangled mass of bone, as if it had been melted and fused together. A disgusting stench of rotting flesh was blown throughout the room by the fan's blades. It was sickening, as bad, if not worse than, the sight of the deformed transmutation. Sadism looked down on the malformed creature with a foreign gleam in his eye. "Looks painful." Malice made no comment and stepped forward unhesitatingly to kneel inches away from the throbbing heart that beat uncovered by any flesh or bone. Prying open the lipless jaw, she placed the philosophers stones entrusted to her inside. She stepped quickly back as a second flash a red blinded the two homunculi. When it faded, the transmutation was gone and a woman of around twenty stood in its place. She wore an knee length, thin strapped, black dress and strappy high heels. The Ourborus mark placed under one her left, orange eye proclaimed her to be Vanity. She stared at Malice and Sadism critically.

"So," She raised an eyebrow, placing her hands on her hips and tossing a glossy length of fire- red hair over her shoulder. "Who are you?"

A/N: I've finally introduced a third minor sin. I'm going to try an get the story moving along in the next chapters. As always, thank you for reading my work and I hope you liked it. Even if you didn't, I would appreciate a review telling me why, so I can make my future writing better. Please tell me what you liked about the story as well. Remember, any suggestions, critiques, and compliments you have helps me write a better story for you. Thank you,

sakeakai


	5. The Gun Bullet Alchemist

A/N: Just to clear up something. In answer to the-Imagined's question, The Vanity in this story is completely of my own invention. If Vanity or any of the characters in this story are similar to someone else's, then I apologize and assure you that it is completely coincidental. Also, Thank you to Ari GateKeeper for your awesome review. Thank you also for your suggestion on the character, Malice. I will be sure to think about this as the story progresses. Thank you to all of Sin: Minor and Major?'s readers and I hope that you enjoy the rest of the story.

Chapter 5: The Gun Bullet Alchemist

Farold Swanslan was an unusual man, even for someone of his chosen profession. At only nineteen he was a state alchemist. Farold was both incredibly skilled and incredibly ambitious. He had passed the qualifying exams with an extremely high score and had impressed the judges at the second, practical portion of the test with his unique brand of Alchemic skills. It, probably, also hadn't hurt his chances that the war dogs watching hadn't been able to resist a good show of gun play. Yes, he used a handgun in his alchemy. It wasn't much to look at, small and light as it was with his name etched into the barrel, but, when combined with his alchemically created bullets, it could pack one hell of a punch. He took great pride in his weapon and made sure to keep it in good shape. Because of their shared affinity for guns, the foot soldiers were, slightly, more accepting of him than they were of his alchemic colleagues. This had proved very convenient at times when certain information not to his branch of the military was called for. Farold was a fan of bending the rules. Oh, he was loyal enough to his superiors, but he was also determined to broaden his knowledge of his chosen field indefinitely. He absolutely despised his inability to out out-fact and out-skill some of his older, more educated colleagues. The academy graduated, diploma wielding alchemists looked down on the poor, apprenticed Swanslan who need a gun to perform alchemy.

They sneered at the way he dressed in regulation soldier attire when it wasn't required of their branch. What they didn't know was that, because of his focus almost entirely on bullets, he had perfected his particular art to the point where he could eliminate them all with a twitch of his trigger finger. He had bullets which poisoned you if it even nicked you had enough to bleed and the venom coating them was so powerful that you were dead before you knew that you were hit. He also had flashier ammunition that would put a high powered tank to shame. Yet, the pompous ignorants still breathed air enough to laugh behind his back. Why? Because, despite all his prowees, they still had knowledge that he did not. Farold needed access to the military's files. A privilege that it was unlikely he'd keep if he killed of the entire alchemist's division. He was determined, powerful and desperate to leave his mark on the world. The brown haired and eyed gun bullet alchemist was currently in the home that his military paycheck provided. Looking in his back window, you could see him extracting the venom from a diamond patterned black and red snake of his own creation. The incredibly poisonous fluid would be used in some of his more silent and indiscreetly acting bullets. Watching him from one of the five, heavily leafed trees in his back yard sat a crow. A toothed and smiling crow. Farold Swanslan would be their pawn.

A/N: I realize that my chapters are short and I apologize to anyone who finds this annoying. I don't really know why they are so short somehow they just…end up that way. Anyways, as usual, I hope you have all enjoyed this latest chapter and please review with any comments or suggestions that you may have. I am a believer in constructive criticism, so if you have ideas for improvements then, please, don't hesitate to tell me. Thank you again,

sakeakai


	6. Sadism and History Files

A/N: I received another question from Ari Gatekeeper. Yes, the crow is Envy. Thank you, also for your suggestion and encouragement. Thank you to the-Imagined as well. I'm glad you like the characters! I apologize For the longer than usual wait on this chapter and pray that you'll bare with me. Here, finally, is chapter six. I hope you enjoy reading it!

Chapter 6: Sadism and History Files

Sadism wandered absentmindedly down the bare, lonely halls. He had been sent away by Malice to see if Lust had returned from her mission. He still didn't know. Sloth and Pride were off gathering ingredients, so he couldn't ask them. He had already asked Greed, who had blown a smoke ring in his face and then pointedly ignored him, and Vanity, who had simply shrugged and continued to throw fireballs across the room. He had been glad to retreat from her room. It was unnerving to see your reflection thrown back at your from every angle. Sadism sighed and kicked at a loose floor tile. He'd been walking around the enormous building for quite a while and was considering returning to Malice without the information she needed. He jumped back suddenly as he turned a corner and almost ran smack into the very person he was looking for. Lost in his thoughts, he hadn't heard the tap of her high heels approaching him. "Give this to Malice, will you?" Lust handed him a paper filled labeled '**FAROLD SWANSLAN**' In bold, official looking letters. Taking the file, Sadism watched her turn back down the hall and head for her room on the second floor. Turning heel, he then retraced his steps up stairways and down hallways until he reached the room W116 and entered. He grinned triumphantly as he handed Malice the file who paused the video feed on the computer and started to read up on their sacrifice's history without comment.

A/N: I apologize for this chapter's length, but I have been unusually busy lately and will try to get the future chapters up faster. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and, as always, please R&R! Thank you,

Sakeakai


	7. Reflection of Vanity

A/N: I got this chapter up as soon as I could. I hope you like it! Also, thank you to Ari Gatekeeper for reviewing. I'm glad that you're enjoying the story! Please keep R&R-ing! Your reviews help me write a better story and I really enjoy reading them!

Chapter 7: Reflection of Vanity

Vanity loved her name. She also loved her Ourborus mark. She loved her vibrantly orange eyes too. In fact, Vanity loved most things about herself. She _was_ Vanity after all. This was why she had searched the entire building and taken every mirror she could find. The reflective surfaces now hung on all of her walls, so she could watch herself from every angle, from anywhere in the room. She especially loved her hair. The way it fell down to her elbows in delicate, full bodied curls. The way it shone red when it caught the light just right, and it usually did. The way it floated around her like a halo. The way it became raging flames that matched those on her wrists and palms when she used her unique abilities. Vanity felt the heat that could not burn her as she ignited. She looked at her reflection in one of the many attached to the wall before her. Oh, yeah. She was definitely _hot_.

A/N: Yes, I know this was a short chapter, but, I promise, that there are longer ones coming…eventually. I hope you continue to read Sin: Minor and Major?. Don't forget to R&R! Thank you,

sakeakai


	8. Sloth and Imprisonment

A/N: Thank you, Ari Gatekeeper for reviewing. I'm glad that the last chapter cleared up some things about Vanity for you. I'm also glad that I've portrayed her sin correctly. Thank you, I always enjoy reading your reviews. Now, onto the next chapter!

Chapter 8: Sloth and Imprisonment

Sloth sighed and leaned back up against the grimy sink in the guards' bathroom. 'This takes too much effort'. Blue eye stared vaguely up at the fluorescent lighting. Envy had told the other sins about the last attempts at creating a philospher's stone. They had used an old prison then, to supply the human ingredients necessary for the stone's creation. The attempt had failed, however, when the alchemist they had chosen proved too soft hearted for the job. Unfortunately, there were no recently abandoned prisons and even if there were, it was unlikely that the homunculi would be luck enough to find it filled with forgotten prisoners. Sloth supposed that they could smuggle some out of one of the running prisons, such as the one she was in. However, disappearances from a highly guarded, government prison would inevitably lead to attention and investigations, which the sins were trying to avoid. It wouldn't do for the military to discover their existence. Sighing again, Sloth tucked a few strands of black hair, escaped from her ponytail, behind her ear. Then, with a mumbled "I'm too tired for this." she liquefied into the sink and down the drain.

A/N: Yes, I know that this was another short chapter, but I hope that it was still good. I hope that you will continue to read this story and, please, continue reviewing.

Sakeakai


	9. Snake Shots

A/N: I'm sorry for the long delay. I've been incredibly busy this week. It has been very annoying. As a note, none of the Homunculi, except Envy, are the original ones. However, I did give them the same powers. I am assuming that, even though the sins are created from different people, they would retain the same powers as before. Anyways, here is the next chapter.

Chapter 9: Snake Shots

Bang! Bang! Bang! Chk! Click! Bang-bang! Even when wearing the protective headphones, the sounds filling the space of the open air shooting range were deafening. If you were there as often as Farold was, however, you grew used to the noise and learned to tune things out. The Gun Bullet Alchemist spent three hour almost every day there. The range was close by and he was able to use it for free. There _wre_ certain downfalls, though. One of these being the fact that he couldn't use his own gun. His superiors didn't want him to destroy the military financed the range. The fifty soldiers to either side of him might not mind, though. Unlike Farold, the time they put in here every day was required of them. Though most soldiers used a regulation JR13D rifle, like to man to the alchemist's left, Farold used a K3IP0 handgun. It was the closest thing to his unique weapon in current make.

The alchemist heard a distinct click as the rifle being shot beside him was emptied. Farold saw its user check their side pouch and heard them swear when they found it empty. The man left and Farold returned the majority of his attention to the target 20 feet in front of him. He had missed it once. That was too many times. He, for the most part, ignored the man as he returned, seconds later, with a JP13E rifle. This model was very similar to his previous weapon, but they still had basic differences. Farold paused to reload the weapon he was using while the man shot a few rounds into his target. As he dug into the pouch attached to his belt, Farold noticed that, despite the two weapons' similarities, the man wasn't as skilled with this model. He was missing almost twice as much as before. Perhaps the man found this frustrating, as he again before the bullets were used up. He returned soon after with the model he had originally been working with.

As the Gun Bullet Alchemist shot off the rest of his three hours, he soon forgot about the soldier beside him. The soldier, however, left the range wondering why his target head holes in it from more bullets than he had shot. Neither of them saw the snake slither away through the grass. They also didn't see the incredibly small camera that it carried in his mouth.

A/N: I shall definitely try to get the next chapter up quickly. I'm sorry for making you wait for this one. As always, please R&R and continue to read Sin: Minor and Major?


	10. Dreams of Pain

A/N: I'm sorry that I didn't get this up sooner. I don't think that this chapter is as good as the last and, as requested by Ari Gatekeeper, I shall try to move things along. I'm adding a new twist to Malice's character and I hope that it helps to make the story more interesting. Please enjoy the chapter.

Chapter 10: Dreams of Pain

The silver haired sin lay in her bed, eyes wide and covered in a cold sweat. She grimaced as a sharp pain pierced her skull. Images from the dream ran through her head as she stared sightlessly at the bare ceiling. She picked up a small, black haired boy and held him as he cried. A man in military uniform handed her a letter as he stood in a doorway, his face shadowed with sorrow and pity. She looked into a mirror to see black hair falling down past tan shoulders and brown eyes staring back at her. Malice put a hand to her head as, for once in her unnatural life, confusion tortured and twisted her usually logical and calculating mind. What was happening to her?

As Sadism opened the door, he wasn't surprised to see Malice, once again, at the computer console, watching the feed from Envy's camera. As her started across the room, he wondered if she ever slept.

"Hello, Older sister." He cheerfully greeted her as he always did in the mornings. He was surprised to see her turn around to look at him. She usually just ignored him. A blink later, Malice was back to their usual routine and was staring at the screen. Sadism shrugged and finished his walk over. As he hovered behind his 'older sister', wanting to be helpful, one thing kept running over and over through Malice's mind. It was a scene from her dream. The image of a young, blackhaired boy running towards her, smiling. _Hello older sister_.

A/N: This chapter is not my best and I apologize for the wait, but I hope that it wasn't too bad. Please R&R,

sakeakai


	11. Sloth and Pillow Books

A/N: Thank you Artifiacial Life Creator and Ari Gatekeeper. I'm glad that Malice's twist is adding to the story. I'm glad that it has made you wonder what will happen next! I hope you all continue to read and like this story and thank you fro reviewing. It has come to my attention that I have not been posting disclaimers. I intend to fix this. I do not own the concept of the Homunculus. I do not own Envy or the idea of the other sins. The versions of Sloth, Lust, Pride and Greed that appear in this story, along with all other characters, belong to me. Thank you, I apologize for that tedious message, but here is the story.

Chapter 11: Sloth and Pillow Books

"I need the book Alchemic Miracles: Myth or Reality? By Sagri Bullan from Pride's room." So here he was. Sadism was, once again, wandering the halls, looking for someone who could help him. He had gone to Pride's room which had been, unluckily, vacant. Apparently, Pride was still out collecting ingredients. Sadism sighed and shoved his hands roughly into his pockets. Why was it that whenever Malice sent him to get something he always ended up roving aimlessly around the hallways? A wet, gurgling sound to his right snapped him out of his moody thoughts as he jumped. He walked through the door to his right, towards the sound. He chocked on a yelp and jumped back against the now closed door as a fountain of water gushed from the sink. As the liquid hit the floor it solidified into a woman wearing a black dress and shoes that were thinly strapped. Sadism's body untensed. It was Sloth. Sloth stared at him dubiously.

"Why are you here?"

"I heard something and came to investigate, but it was just you." He crossed his arms as Sloth raised an eyebrow. "Why? Don't I have a right to be here?"

"No." There was a glint of amusement in her eyes now. Sadism blinked at the finality of her answer.

"Sloth sighed and pointed past him.

"Check the door." Sadism glanced at it. He didn't see anything except a door. "The front side of it." Sadism pushed open the door and stepped halfway out of the room to look at the other side. There was a sign on it.

"Oh." He was in a girl's bathroom.

Sadism was surprised by the fact that Sloth knew about the book Malice needed. She also knew that Pride would not be back anytime soon.

"Well, I guess I'll just have to search his room then." Frankly, Sadism _really _didn't like the idea of looking through a major sin's belongings. He also didn't like the thought of disappointing Malice.

"Don't bother." Sadism looked at his 'sibling' oddly. Sloth sighed and beckoned him with a finger. She led him into the room next door. They walked through the open doorway and over to the bed. At least, it could have been a bed. It was so covered by the largest, fluffiest pillows Sadism had ever seen, that it was hard to tell. Sloth sighed, an act was quickly starting to annoy the other sin, and flopped down onto the pile. Digging underneath the pillows, she finally pulled something out of the poofy mass. "It held up the head pillows so well." Another sigh accompanied the book as she handed the thick tome over to Sadism. After the book left her hand, she rolled over and fell asleep. Sadism stared at her for a while in confusion. Blinking, he looked down at the book in his hands. Alchemic Miracles: Myth or Reality?. How had Sloth gotten this? An answering Snore told him that he'd never know.

A/N: What did you think of this chapter? Please R&R. Every time you do it helps me become a better writer so I can type better stories for you.

Thank you

sakeakai


	12. Book Doings

A/N: hello again. Thank you to all to reviewed. I always love reading what you write. Thank you, Ari Gatekeeper, for your awesome review. I'm so glad that you like the story so much. I agree with the pillow line, too. That's my favorite from the chapter as well. Now, here's the next chapter, I hope that you all enjoy this chapter as well.

Chapter 12: Book Doings

Malice glanced sideways at the book, weighted open, on the table next to her. It was open to the first page in a chapter on the philosopher's stone. When Sadism had handed her the book, it had been old, yes, but not in bad condition. She had immediately set forth to fix this. She had spent her days switching between watching the computer screen and thumbing through pages until she rarely encountered one that was straight. She had bent back the cover in important places, dripped coffee wax and, occasionally, ink onto the pages. She had made asterisks, notes and underlines in carefully calculated places. She was now weighting the book open on each page in this particular chapter and on various others. She had paid special attention to the page it was open to now. The book now appeared like an aged, worn and frequently read piece of someone's personal collection. Perfect. Deeming her work satisfactory, Malice removed the weights and flipped the pages to the inside, front cover. She got out a bottle of ink, personally designed to look faded and old, and used to write Property of Doctor Marco. Now…to see if Lust had successfully accomplished her goal.

Three months ago, at Malice's request, Lust had started work at the military library. Or, rather, Susan Mikelson, a twenty three year old with a, forged, colledge degree in literature, had started work there. The woman had soon befriended the studious, frequently visiting Farold Swanlan. She was often fetching and recommending various books for and to the knowledge hungry alchemist. Obviously, he had benefited from her knowledge of the library and had come to grudgingly, somewhat, trust her judgment. All according to Malice's plan. 'Now,' she thought, glancing at the book once more. 'time for the next move.' The strategist could only hope that Lust could continue to play her part convincingly.

A/N: I'm sorry. I know that this chapter is short and I will try to start writing longer ones. Please R&R, as usual, and I hope you enjoyed this latest chapter Sin: Minor and Major?.

sakeakai


	13. A New Way to Knowledge

A/N: Thank you, Ari Gatekeeper for reviewing, you always have good reviews! Thank you for the suggestion as well. I will keep it in mind as I type future chapters.

Chapter 13: A New Way to Knowledge

"Hello again, Mr. Swanslan." The man looked up as a shadow fell over the table before him. To his left was a pile of books and in laid open in front of him was a another one, similar to the rest. He set down the pen he had been using to write notes with and returned the woman's greeting.

"Good afternoon Ms. Mikelson." His eyes turned to the stack of books in her arms.

"I found these while cleaning out one of the storage rooms." She told him, noticing the look. "They're somewhat worn, some of them used to belong to other libraries, but I thought that you might find them interesting." Farold nodded his appreciation as the stack was set down with others he had yet to read.

"Thank you."

"Any time." The brunette then turned and left him to his studies.

It wasn't until much later that the alchemist decided to return to his home. Gathering his notes and the books he had not yet read, he left. Unknown to him, a very important book lay nestled in the stack he carried home. The cat following him knew it. The girl, far away, attentively watching a computer screen knew it. The woman who gave him the book knew it. Alchemic Miracles: Myth or Reality? Farold didn't know that this particular book would change his life dramatically. It would intertwine his destiny with a path chosen and laid out for him. It was a path that, once he had taken the first step down it, would keep him trapped on it's carefully and precisely measured stones. He would never be able to deviate from it.

No. Farold didn't know this…yet.

A/N: I apologize sincerely for the length, or lack-there-of, of this chapter. I promise that the next one will be longer. Despite its length, I hope you enjoyed reading it. How did I do with the paragraph breaks? Please R&R, you know I love it when you do and keep reading Sin: Minor and Major?.


	14. The Piece is Moved

A/N: Thank you both Artificial Life Creator and Ari Gatekeeper for your reviews. I'm glad that I did better with the paragraphs this time. I will continue to use more of them so my story won't be hard to read. Ari Gatekeeper, I'm glad that you like my descriptions and use of vocabulary, I hope that you'll continue to read and enjoy this story. Artificial Life Creator, I agree that really long chapters are hard to find the time to read. I will try to write chapters that are easy to read and get into for everyone. Thanks, you two, for reviewing and here's the next chapter of Sin: Minor and Major?.

Chapter 14: The Piece is Moved

Having finished copying down another fact from the last page of the book before him, Farold closed the volume and set it aside. Ignoring the fly buzzing noisily around him, the alchemist reached for the next book in the stack. Alchemic Miracles: Myth or Reality? By Sagri Bullan. He wrote down the title on the top of a clean sheet of paper before flipping open the worn book and begging to read.

With a click, the piece was set down on the board. It had begun its carefully planned movement across the board.

Farold turned the page to a new chapter, "The Philosopher's Stone", and made a note of the name before moving on.

The fly, having ceased the annoying buzzing from before, stood unmoving atop the lamp that sat on the alchemist's desk and shed its light on the open book before the man reading it.

Farold never moved on to the next chapter. When he was finished with it he turned back to the page titled "The Philosopher's stone" and reread the section. Then he read it again for a third time.

A silver haired girl leaned back in her chair. Ignoring the sounds of sleep from her bed across the room, she watched the screen almost unblinkingly.

The Philosopher's Stone. Could it truly exist? To create something that would give the user ultimate alchemic power…could it really be done?

As Sadism mumbled and rolled over under the sheet atop him, Malice leaned closer to the screen.

This was a critical moment. Had she profiled this man incorrectly by even the smallest degree her painstakingly set plan would be ruined. The pawn would stray from her painstakingly set plan and the game would be lost. The homunculi would fail to obtain the philosopher's stone once again. She waited, her body tense with anxiety. Could all of her vigilant planning have gone to waste? Could she, for all her skill, have made a mistake?

If he could create a philosopher's stone then he, Farold Swanslan, would be the most powerful alchemist of all of them. He would finally have out classed his colleagues and he would finally have reached the top.

Malice sat back with a barely audible sigh of relief. It was all right. This faze of the strategy had been successful. The Gun Bullet Alchemist was now, advantageously, obsessed with philosopher's stone.

A/N: I hope this wasn't confusing. In case you didn't figure it out, the spaces between the paragraphs are time/space shifts. You probably already knew that, but I wanted to clear it up in case anyone was confused. Please tell me what you think. R&R-ing is _very_ appreciated. Any suggestions or comments, as usual, I encourage you to send. I hope everyone who read it enjoyed this latest chapter and please continue to read.

Thank you,

sakeakai


	15. Siblingship

A/N: Sorry for not posting for so long but the computer was having…issues. Irrepairable issues, so the only choice was to replce it. This new one is confusing and took a while to set up, so please forgive this posting's lateness. Moving on then, Thank you, Ari Gatekeeper for reviewing and I promise to continue with the paragraph breaks. It was a good suggestion and does make the story easier to read. I am also glad that you think that I portrayed Malice well. One of the things I pend the most time thinkinng about when writing is how each character, as an individual, would act. I am glad that I am succeeding. Per usual, I hope that you enjoy reading this latest chapter of the story.

Chapter 15: Siblingship a.k.a. Malice and Sadism's Night

Sadism blinkedhis eyes open, suddenly. He wasn't sure what had awoken him. He knew only that he was awake. His second realization was that he was not in his on bed. His third realization was that the bed was Malice's and that said sin still sat in front of the soft glow of the computer screen across the room. Sadism rose from the bed, throwing off the thin sheet, its only covering, and crossed the floor to theoposite side of the room. Sadism was surprised to find that Malice wasn't staring at the screen ceaselessly, as was usual. She was asleep, with her head in the arms that rested on the table in front of her. Sadism smiled to himself. So she did sleep occassionaly. Sadism walkedback over to the bed and gathered the sheet in his arms efore retracing his steps back to the console. He gently layed the starch, white material over his 'sibling's' shoulders and paused the screen. Returning to the now coverless bed, he fell back onto the matress and into the arms of sleep.

_"Eric! Time for lunch, Eric!" The dark haired boy, maybe five or six, turned away from the river and dropped the stone he had picked out to skip across its glassy surface. Smiling, heran towards the house and into her open arms. "Look at you." Her voice was stern, but a smile captured her features. "You're soaking wet." The boy let out a childish giggle as she let him out of her embrace. _

_"I'll change after dinner, okay, older sister?"_

_"All right." __Together, they walked over to the table and each sat at one of the two places, set with food. They ate their meager portions in a comfortable silence, the boy's eyes darting from her, to the window and back down to his plate. When both plates were cleaned, she picked up the dishes and carried__them to the sink as the boy raced to his room to change. She set the dishes in the already filled sink and reached for the rag she used to wash them. She heard footsteps behind her and turned to see the black haired child there._

_"Do you want hlp, older sister?" he asked, his eyes drifting towards the door._

_"No, thank you, Eric." She smiled lovingly at him. "You can go back out and play, just don't get wet again, okay?" He returned her grin, full force._

_"Okay, older sister. I love you." He ran out the door, forgetting to shut it behind him. With an amused shake of her head, she turned back to the dishes and ca__ughtt he reflection of something shinig red in the sink._

Malice eyes opened as suddenly as if she had been given an electric shock. The images from yet another of the strange dreams flashing through her head. Shaking her head to clear it, Malice lifted her face from her arms. The screen before her had been paused. Odd…She didn't remember pausing it. Another thing. A sheet was draped around Malice's shoulders. How had that gotten there? Malice removed the material from her shoulders and, hearing a sound behind her, carried it over to her bed. On it lay the sleping form of Sadism. He didn't wake as she stood over him and seemed unbothered by the fact that he was not in his own bed. He also seemed oblivious to the fact that he slept without a blanket or any other covering to fight the chill that perpetuated the Homunculi's hideout. Having discovered the origin of the sheet, Malice threw it over the sleeping sin and started to turn back towards the humming device she had fallen asleep in front of. She paused, half turned, then kneeled down to peer into Sadism's face. For some reason, a reason previously gone unnoticed, Sadism reminded Malice of the boy from her dreams. She softly brushed back a lock of black from his face. That was it. The hair. As Sadism stirred under her touch, Malice quickly stood and mooved back towards her station at the computer console. She had no time to be thinking such pointless thoughts. Mind wandering or distraction could put her strategy at risk. Unpausing the screen, she sat down in her chair. There was planning to be done.

A/N: I hope that this chapter was good and, once again, I apologise for its lateness. Since this new computer shows no signs of being on the verge of colaps, then computer malfunction should not be a problem. That is, however, assuming that I, the most technilogically chalenged per I know, figures out how to use it properly, doesn't break it and doesn't somehow cause it to fall under the curse that seems to affect every electronic device that I touch. On a more positive and, frankly, less depressing note, please R&R. You know I love it when you do and I'll make sure to post the next chapter on time!

sakeakai


	16. The Start of Questioning

A/N: Hello again. Per usual, I would like to thank Marioneta de Cuerpo for reviewing (awesome name, by the way). I will continue to practice increasing my paragraph breaks and hope that I can get it right. I am glad that you like how the characters are developing and plan to make them even more interesting in the future chapters. Thank you for pointing out my spelling errors, as well. I will pay more attention in future chapters. Now, here is the next chapter.-

Chapter 16: The Start of Questioning

Sadism, yawning, stretched his arms over his head before sitting up and peering around the room. Seeing Malice, watching the computer diligently, he recalled the dream he'd had. At the time he thought that it had been real, but it couldn't have been. For one, the sheet that, in the dream, he had given to Malice was now covering him once more. For another, Malice would never act as if she were not in complete control in front of anybody. Sadism jumped quickly out of the bed and walked over to stand behind his 'sibling'.

"So, you're awake." Sadism jumped in surprise. Did Malice actually talk to him? Not that Malice hadn't spoken to him before, Wherbut she had never spoken to him for, what she deemed, no reason. She usually only spoke when she was telling him to do something. Sadism let a grin spread across his face.

"Yep. Morning." He shoved his hands in his pockets and stood patiently by Malice's chair. Maybe he could help her again today.

Farold paced his room in an excited restlessness. The movement, meant to burn out his pent up energy, was just barely helping him stay calm. He needed to keep his wits together. It was hard. After all these years he had finally figured out a way to beat his 'colleagues', surpass them. He was nowhere near achieving this goal, however. The Philosopher's Stone. The key to total alchemic power and mastery. It would take years, perhaps his entire life to complete. All he had was a concept, his willpower and his alchemic ability. He didn't even have any idea how to make the stone. What was the recipe for success. What symbols would the required circle need to contain? Where he could he perform his experiments? Where would he get the ingredients needed? What were the ingredients? Farold had only one place to start. The alchemist gathered together his usual things and headed to the central library.

A/N: I hope that I did better with the paragraphs and spelling this time, and that this wasn't too short. Anyway, please R&R so I can write even better

sakeakai


	17. Of Research and Lust

A/N: Sorry I'm late with this update and thank you for being so patient. A larger thanks goes out to Marioneta de Cuerpo and Artificial Life Creator. Thank you both for reviewing and I'm very pleased that you enjoyed the last chapter so much. Marioneta de Cuerpo, to answer your question, I hadn't really planned out a specific number of chapters, but I am planning to move things along more in the future chapters, so as not to make this story centuries long. To all my readers, I hope you enjoy chapter 17!

Chapter 17: Of Research and Lust

Farold had been cutting back on his time at the shooting range. Slowly, but steadily, his practices there had dropped to an all time low. He still went occasionally. He had to keep up appearances after all. He couldn't have anyone become suspicious. Farold shuddered to think of what would happen if one of the other state alchemists discovered what exactly it was that he was researching. Since what was now known as the Elric Incident, more strict rules had been enforced on who could and, more importantly, who could _not _research certain alchemic subjects. Experiments pertaining to the Philosopher's Stone were now classified as highly dangerous and allowed only under the strictest forms of military supervision. The Gun Bullet Alchemist was fairly sure that the youngest and least experienced of the state alchemists would be permitted to conduct such research.

Susan Mikelson was surprisingly helpful in Farold's research. She always seemed to have the right book on hand. The suddenly more secretive alchemist had, at first, questioned this. It did seem suspicious that she was so willing to help him without asking what it was that he was so avidly researching. When questioned, however, Ms. Mikelson had simply told him that the books he was using were rarely requested and that the pursuit of knowledge should not be withheld from those who so clearly treasured it as much as he did. After a few weeks, Farold had stopped doubting his good fortune and he had accepted the librarian's help gladly, if not trustingly.

Lust watched the human sacrifice from behind one of the library bookshelves. She peered at him through a gap in the books, made where one of them had been removed. Ironically, that book was the one that was currently held in her hand, recently returned and ready to be placed back in its proper spot in the library. Placing the book into the gap, blocking her view of the alchemist, Lust wondered how long she would need to keep up this act of the helpful librarian. Another point in the forefront of her thoughts was as to why Malice would not condone a speeding up of the informative process. If she could just hand the sacrifice a book that wasn't quite so vague then he might get to where he was, frustratingly slowly, being led to faster. The silver haired minor sin had warned against this however, and Envy, the eldest of them all, had told them to listen to their third youngest sibling. She was, after all, the little mastermind behind this plan. Lust sighed and began to place the rest of the returns, currently balanced precariously in her arms, back into their proper places on the shelf. The frustrated sin really hated libraries. It seemed that she'd have to acquire a taste for them though. After all, it didn't seem like Malice's plan would have her moved from there any time soon. She let out another resigned sigh.

'Perfect. With all this sighing, I'm starting to sound like that lazy sin, Sloth.'

A/N: I realize that this chapter is short and that nothing much happened in it. However, the connection between Farold's research and Lust is an important point in this story and I felt the need to mention it further. I do plan to make the coming chapters more exciting as the homunculi's search for the human ingredients continues.

p.s. any ideas on where hundreds of people could go missing unnoticed?

Please R&R!

sakeakai


	18. Impatience, of a Sort

A/N: Thank you Nerrin and Artificial Life Creator for reviewing. Oh, Nerrin, you're right. Your name is a lot easier to write now. Nerrin, thanks for your suggestions. There aren't military connections in my story because Pride isn't the fuhrer, but your bombing idea gave me a idea on how to use Vanity, so watch for her the upcoming chapters. Artificial Life Creator, thank you for reviewing. As, you pointed out, there are no space colonies in my story so your idea, though it seems to have worked out well in your story, would not work in this one. Anyways, thanks again both of you and here's the next chapter.

Chapter 18: Impatience, of a Sort

"Malice." The silver haired listened to her eldest brother with the same emotionless detachment with which she viewed everything. "We are becoming impatient with this plan of yours."

"I am aware of this." Her very body seemed emotionless as it ignored the chill which made her breath visible. She wasn't even shivering. Even Envy found the freezing temperature uncomfortable and he was used to it.

"Then why do you keep dragging this out? The sacrifice is caught. Why not reel him in?"

"It is too soon."

"What do you mean? The Elrics were lead along slowly enough and they still failed. How long it takes makes no difference."

"It was not how long the plan took that caused it to fail. The Elric was too weak. If his personality had been analyzed more thoroughly, the plan may not have failed.

"Really?" Envy leaned back against the wall and, grinning that sardonic smile of his, crossed his arms in front of his chest. "And, why is that?" Still, the silver haired sin showed no sign of the nervousness or frustration that anyone else in her position would have shown.

"If his personality had been judged as it needed to be, his weak heart would have been discovered. Then, he could have been dropped from the plan. Or, if the situation called for it, the Elric could have been broken down. He could have been led on a detoured path which would have darkened and corrupted him to the point where any conscience would have been inconsequential and he would not have hesitated to perform the transmutation on the provided ingredients." The elder sin's grin grew more annoyingly wider.

"You know Malice," he smirked "you talk a lot." His comment was returned only by silence and the same unfeeling stare that Malice had been giving him through the entire conversation. "Anything else you'd like to say?"

"Yes." Malice spoke more firmly now, almost demandingly. "It would be well if you hurried back to your post. In order to prevent a failure similar to that of the Elrics, I must have as much information on the new sacrifice as possible." A laugh rang in the room cold air. It was a startling contrast to the recent conversation. When the fit had settled to a chuckle of ammusment, Envy motioned for his younger 'sibling' to leave. He watched her climb the stairs to the rest of the building. Still smirking, he spoke amusedly to the air.

"Well said, little sister." If Malice had not already left. She could have easily seen the mischevious glint in his eyes.

A/N: This is out earlier than usual, I know. I had some free time and thought, I know, I'll type! So here you go. Anyways, am I getting Envy's character right? I had to rewrite this chapter because when I typed his character out it just didn't sound right. Anyways, please R&R and continue to read.

sakeakai


	19. A Meeting of Two and a Pet

A/N: Wow. It's been a while since I've updated, hasn't it?...Huh…Anyways, thanks for being so patient with me and, Artificial Life Creator and Nerrin, thanks for reviewing. Nerrin, there isn't a bombing, I didn't want to blatantly rip-off your idea, but there is something that I associate with bombings…I afraid that if I say what it is that I'll give one of the future chapters away. Thank you both for answering my question on the last chapter. I'm glad that I wrote the characterization of Envy right. Also, Nerrin, I do plan putting Envy into action sometime soon, though I'm not sure exactly when. Artificial Life Creator, Your sister can imitate Envy's voice? That's so cool! I've never heard someone imitate Envy well for some reason. Anyways, here's the next chapter. Enjoy!

Chapter 19: A Meeting of Two and a Pet

Malice relaxed pace and unrevealing features betrayed nothing of what was really going through her mind. Foremost of these things was annoyance. Envy had deliberately left his post just to tell her that her strategy was making the other homunculi impatient. As the eldest, he should know, did know, how crucial his role as spy was to the success of this game. Every second he spent wasting time not observing their sacrifice just increased their chances of losing. As she walked down the corridors towards her room this frustration was nonexistent on her face. She was a master of concocting masks to wear. No emotion was allowed to show on her face. As a strategist, she couldn't afford any more distractions. It was enough to have to deal with the strange dreams that were becoming more frequent without the other sins just abandoning their jobs and running off in any which direction, jeopardizing the strategy. Those dreams were definitely distracting enough. She could never escape them, either in sleep, where she was trapped in new ones, or in wakefulness, when the dreams of previous nights would plague her mind to torture her further with questions of why she had them and what they were about. Unwillingly, Malice felt her mind drift back to the most recent of these dreams.

There had been a pendant. It had been…_gold? _It had been annoyingly blurred except for an infuriatingly taunting glint of red. The piece of jewelry had been around the neck of a woman at first. At least, Malice thought that it had been a woman. The only part of them that hadn't been obscured by a disorientating haze was the part of her neck and throat against which the vaguely glimpsed pendant had laid. The necklace had then been placed around her own neck as the _woman(_ patted her head and then walked out a door, her shoulders encompassed by the arm of another whom had appeared to be a man but was just as infuriatingly obscured as the rest of her dream. Then, her hand was grabbed, but, as she looked down, the dream had ended and Malice had been left staring at the ceiling.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't Malice." The sound of the other sin's voice snapped her out of her daze as she stopped walking and turned to stare at the one who had spoken. Greed was leaning nonchalantly against the wall while, further into the shadows, a red haired, red eyed man in his early twenties or so stood, arms crossed, wearing a sardonic grin almost identical to Greed's own. Greed removed a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and, removing one, handed them to his red haired pet. This pet was the newest member of their 'family' and had been adopted by the older sin almost immediately following an incident in which they had given Envy a rather rude answer involving the middle finger and the words "fuck you."

"Greed, Machonism." Malice wondered vaguely if Greed had a point for starting a conversation or if he was just trying to be as blatantly and pointlessly annoying as he usually was.

"well, little sister, how's the great plan maker today? Envy still giving you leash?" The cigarette was lit with a lighter pulled from another pocket which was then handed over to Machonism as well. Machonim was still grinning at her as he lit up the cigarette his 'master' had given him. Malice decided then that neither of the infuriatingly annoying sins were worth dignifying with a response and turned away from them, continuing on her way.

"What's wrong Malice? You aren't scared of you big brother Greed are you?" Malice heard Machonism chuckle as she called back,

"Don't you have work to be doing Greed?" she turned a corner and out of sight.

"Yeah." Greed said quietly. "Yeah, I do." Machonism smirked at him knowingly.

A/N: Sorry this chap took so long for me to post. Does anyone know if I'm spelling Machonism correctly? Please R&R and keep reading!

sakeakai


	20. Target Sighted

A/N: Congratulations! I found out how to spell the word! It's, masochism! Thanks for reviewing Artificial Life Creator and Nerrin. Nerrin, the Greed in my story is a new Greed, but he still smokes and I tried to keep his personality similar. They _are_ the same sin after all. I'm glad you enjoyed the length of the last chapter too. Anyways, sorry I didn't get this up sooner and here's the new chapter.

Chapter 20: Target sighted

Pride stared impassively at the town bellow him. The wood surrounded area was home to five hundred and sixty three people and was out of the way enough that the town was rarely visited. Pride stepped back into the shade of the trees as the clouds covering the sun were blown away. Of course, the town bellow used these trees for more than just a place to see without being seen. The wood from them was used to build their homes and furniture. It was also used to carve the intricate decorations that the residents sold and shipped out as their livelihood. Even the large gate surrounding the town was made from the wood surrounding it.

'what a fire hazard…and what a perfect place to go missing. It's as if this town were built for our purposes.' Pride grinned as he watched the unassuming people bellow him. Soon this town would be theirs.

A/N: Sorry that this chapter was so short, but it's important to establish some things about the town. Anyways, the thing that I affiliate with bombings is coming up in the next chapter. I'd tell you more except I don't want to give anything away. Thanks for reading and please review.

sakeakai


	21. Vanity's Burning

A/N: Thank you, Right Is Never Wrong, Artificial Life Creator and Nerrin for reviewing. To Right Is Never Wrong's question, this story takes place after the movie. It's been sixty years since then, so everyone from the series is dead, except Envy of course, but he's a special case. Concerning the world itself, not much has changed. The military is still in control and everyone still hates Ishbalans. I mention this because it's important later in the story. On a less serious note. Artificial Life Creator, a Honumculus with a multiple personality disorder would be hilarious! I don't think I've read any fanfics with any homunculus like that…it _would _be very entertaining, though. Anyways, onto the story!

Chapter 21: Vanity's burning

Flames. Beautiful, glorious, scorching, blazingly hot flames. Vanity loved everything about them. She loved how they turned once solid buildings to ash. She loved how they licked her unburnable skin. She loved how the heat rolled off them. She loved how once they were burning hot enough, not even rain could put them out. She loved how thick, coiling smoke drifted off them. She loved how they turned skin and flesh to charred black. Vanity breathed in deeply, savoring the taste of ash and smoke that each breath brought. She let her eyes drift close while listening to the shriek and cries of those caught in her wonderful flames.

Her eyes reopened as a crunching sound reached her ears. A burned, ash covered child scrambled frantically out from around a corner. As Vanity watched, they stumbled and fell, looking back where they had come with a face twisted by mind-numbing terror. Soon the reason for the child's fear became evident as Pride appeared with a woman whose look of panic exceeded the boy's thrown over one shoulder. Pride grabbed the child roughly by the throat and threw him over his other shoulder. Then he leapt away, the woman's shrieks of terror fading as the homunculus carried her and the boy towards the pit that already held most of the Fairfold populace, screaming and squirming as bodies, tortured in terror, tried to escape their prison. Vanity lowered her eyelids once again.

'that's better.' She sighed and grinned as the fire that had been slowly burning towards her, reached her ankles. Now that everyone was gone she could let herself go. Her eyes rolled back in ecstasy as her body was bathed in the heat of the flames that entrapped her. No one deserved to share in this moment with her. No one deserved to share her flames. No one deserved to share in her pleasure.

A/n: Okay, so fire is the thing I associate with bombing. I happy that I finally had the opportunity to send one of the minor sins into action. I had a lot of fun writing this chapter. I have no idea why my computer is making the indents larger than usual. Maybe I'm just imagining it, but it doesn't usually make then like that does it? Anyways, I digress. Please R&R!

sakeakai


	22. Fairfold

A/N: Hello everyone. Do you still remember who I am? I am so sorry that's it's taken me this long to update. Thank you so much for sticking with me. You must have a lot more patience than I have. I have no good excuse so I won't waste your time with any. I'm just going to get right to the chapter. I hope that my story and I still deserve all the faith your reviews show that you have. I'll try not to let you all down. Now, since you've already waited _more_ than long enough for this chapter I'm not going to waste any more time boring you.

Chapter 22: Fairfold

A man was tiredly working behind an oak desk, filling out more order forms for the furniture they sold. He'd been working since late last night and it was already noon the next day. He sighed. That's what he got for procrastination. He looked up tiredly, stifling a yawn as someone knocked on his office door.

"Come in." His secretary opened the door and stepped halfway through. She had a phone in one hand, her other over the mouthpiece. How she didn't trip over the cord connected to said phone was a miracle, or so he thought.

"The shipment from Fairfold's late again." Another sigh, this one from annoyance.

"Again? This is the third shipment in a row from Fairfold that's off-schedule." The town was home to some of the best wood carvers you'd find. It made sense, everything in Farifold seemed to be sustained by the woods surrounding them. Unfortunately, these same geniuses with wood were also prone to complaints. Mostly about what it cost to ship things in trucks these days and how what they were paid for their woodwork didn't nearly measure up to what they should be getting. "We'll wait a few more days and then contact them." The secretary shut the door to his office without comment and he bent back over the pile of forms yet to be filled out. "Stupid woodcarvers, as if I didn't already have enough to worry about."

A/N: Yes, I know that it seems like nothing happened in this chapter, but without it I thought that the next chapter would have a few gaps in it. Thank you go out to Right is Never Wrong and Nerrin for reviewing and fire-fight0 for favoriting. I'll get the next chapter up as soon as I can and, again, thanks for sticking with me.

sakeakai


	23. Pride and Vanity's Desolation

A/N: Guess what? I'm _actually _updating on time this week! Again, sorry about the whole not updating for…well, for a very long time. Anyways, thanks to Artificial Life Creator and Nerrin for reviewing and I'm happy that you'll keep on reading. Because I made you all wait so long for this chapter, I'm just going to get right to it, so…here it is.

Chapter 23: Pride and Vanity's Desolation

A tall figure leaned against the tree beside him, effectively hidden from the ones he watched by the tree's shade. He blended in well with the shadows, almost as if he belonged in them. Even his clothes were the same shade as the shadows he stood in. A black, long sleeved, body hugging shirt. A pair of tight black pants the ends of which were tucked into boots of the same color. Brown hair, so dark as to be mistaken for black, especially with his position in the shade. Long hair that was meticulously combed straight with no tangles or knots. It was tied back neatly with a silk ribbon, not in a knot, but in a perfectly even bow. A disdainful smirk adorned his face as he watched the activity in the scorched piece of earth before him. The seventeen soldiers had been there since midmorning, searching for bodies among the ashes and ruble. None had been found. There was nothing but cooled ash and black, crumbled, skeletal remains left of the wooden town. Though, the soldiers picking through the burned ruble still seemed to hope that they would find a survivor, a clue to what had happened here, or even a body, proving that the residents of Fairfold had not simply vanished.

"Pride." The figure turned from the scene before him towards his grinning, fire-wielding companion. "So, what do we do?" Pride turned his one dark eye and one tattooed one back to the Amestrians.

"Malice told us that this could happen…and she gave us our orders if it did."

"So…do we follow them." Pride didn't even look back as he answered.

"Envy put Malice in charge." He didn't add anything more. He didn't need to. Vanity was already smiling in delight as, once again, her hair burst into flames that circled her wrists as well.

The pair leapt into the ash filled clearing. The screams started.

A/N: this _is_ important to the story as it _actually gets the story moving_! I hope that you enjoyed reading this chapter and that you will stick with me for the rest of the story. Thank you,

sakeakai


	24. Military Travel

A/N: Hey guys! So are you fed up with me yet? I really hope not. Anyway, I thought that I should let you guys know that I made some changes to chapter 2: Dark Games, Chapter 4: Creation of Vanity, and Chapter 5: The Gun Bullet Alchemist. Nothing major, I just took out a few things that you are so insignificant that you guys probably don't remember anyways. In chapter 2 I eliminated Sadism's gun. With his homunculus powers, he doesn't need it. I also added in where his Ourborus mark is, I can't believe that I never thought of that. In chapter 4 I changed Vanity's hair to red. Not like real-world red, but really red. Like fire red. In chapter 5 I made Farold younger and inexperienced in the ways of warfare. And…that's about it. Okay, here's the next chapter!

**Chapter 24: Military Travel**

The driver to his left shot Farold a look as he shifted in his seat. As he quashed down the nerves fluttering in his stomach, he chalked up his repeated squirming to both the roughness of the country roads and the uncomfortable seats in the army truck. Disregarding the fact that he was, as the ranking alchemist on the mission, sitting up front next to the driver instead of in the back on the hard, crowded benches built into the vehicle for the transportation of soldiers.

A few days ago, Farold's superiors had given him his first assignment to investigate a town called Fairfold. Apparently, after having become concerned when shipments from the town did not arrive, the neighboring town of Darsdalehad sent some people to investigate. They had returned reporting that where Fairfold had once been was now only ash. After also reporting that neither bodies or survivors of the flames which had, apparently, burned Fairfold down to the ground, the military had been alerted and a squad of soldiers had been sent to investigate.

Ordinarily an alchemist would not have been sent on what should have been a simple, if not bizarre, reconnaissance assignment. Ordinarily they'd only send one squad instead of three. Of course, after the first squad to investigate Fairfold had lost communications with headquarters, the assignment had suddenlt become a whole lot less ordinary. There were too many coincidences for Farold's liking.

Still, strange coincidences or not, this assignment was obviously a far cry from being considered top priority. If it had been considered that important then one of the more _seasoned _alchemists would have been sent, and not Farold.

It was common the common assumption that the first squads lack of communication was caused by faulty equipment. Of course, there were always the people who thought otherwise. The people who thought that something more was happening around the Fairfold site.

If it was a choice between a dud mission and some great mysterious force, then Farold wasn't sure which one he'd prefer.



A/N: I'm sure that I'm just pointing out the obvious when I say this, but chapters look a whole lot bigger on paper than they do once they're typed up. Anyways, sorry for the dull chapter. I tried to give some background information. There _is_ more action, I promise. Thank you all for reading and please review.

sakeakai


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